Naegiri Week 2017
by Ramix
Summary: A collection of short stories written for Naegiri Week 2017! Themes are: Relax, Melt, Safe, Sweet, Fun, Away, and Soft. Ties into my other Naegiri fic, Moving Forward.
1. Relax

**Naegiri Week 2017 is here! I still love Naegiri with all my heart and soul, and I'm SUPER glad for the chance to be writing for this again, and seeing all the lovely content that my fellow shippers will be putting out this week. I hope you all enjoy my fics, and remember, Naegiri is canon.**

* * *

 **Relax**

Some people had trouble finding the time to relax, others had trouble allowing themselves to relax. Kyoko Kirigiri was one of those profoundly unfortunate people who had difficulty with both.

It was to be expected, of course. She had spent most her childhood training to be a detective, most of her teenage years balancing detective work and school, the early half of her adult life helping to fix a ruined world, and she currently spent her time running a school and taking the occasional case in her off time. Kyoko had learned many things throughout her life, but "slowing down" had never been a priority in her lesson plan. It was a mixed bag; as proud as she was of her work ethic and productivity, there were definitely times when her workaholic tendencies caught up to her.

Like now for instance, as she sat in front of her coffee table at three in the morning pouring over a case file while a stack of paperwork sat on the side of the table, unfinished. She hadn't meant to stay up so late, but time had gotten away from her. After eating dinner, her husband cleaned the kitchen while she went back to her work, approaching her once he was finished.

"Try not to stay up too late, okay? You haven't been getting enough sleep lately, and we don't have work tomorrow, so you should take the chance to get some rest," he'd said before giving her a kiss on the cheek and heading to their room.

She smiled, and responded with a quick peck on his forehead. "Don't worry, I won't be too long. I just have some minor details to look over."

He'd smiled at her, and then headed off to sleep, while she finished her work. And hours later, while he was sound asleep in their bed, she was still wide awake and nowhere close to finishing up.

Kirigiri let out a loud yawn, one that she was too tired to stifle or cover up, and then rubbed her eyes.

Okay maybeshe wasn't _wide_ awake, but she was still working late into the night instead of sleeping soundly in her soft, _comfortable_ , bed next to her warm, _adoring,_ husband. She groaned in frustration, and refocused her attention on the work in front of her.

An old man found dead and buried in the floorboards of his apartment. His young caretaker missing, and splatters of blood all throughout the apartment. Police were unable to identify a murder weapon, motive, or suspects for who would want to kill the old man and his caretaker. As they were completely stumped, they'd reached out to private detectives for help, and she'd picked up the case after hearing about it through the grapevine. Kyoko could already tell that the "missing" caretaker was probably the culprit and was currently on the run, and might even be out of the country by now. Since the police hadn't even considered him as a suspect, there was a stunning lack of information on him and no leads to go on. But Kyoko was a Kirigiri detective, and if she had let the incompetence of others hold her back, she would've been dead many, many, _many_ times over. So she poured over the files, re-reading them over and over again, looking for that one detail that the police had missed which would be the key to cracking the case wide open.

She had been at it for hours now, with limited success.

"Kyoko?" came a groggy voice from the shadows of the living room.

Kyoko put her face in her palm as she sighed in frustration. "Hello, dear. Don't worry, I'm almost done."

Makoto crossed his arms and stared at her. Even through his half-lidded eyes, messy bed-hair, and the fact that he was clearly still half-asleep, he exuded an aura of disappointment. It was like being stared at by a puppy that had caught you with your hand in a cookie jar, and try as she might, she could not meet his gaze.

"Kyoko…"

She sighed. Wasn't the wife supposed to be the nagging one in the relationship? "I know, I'm sorry. I'll be right there, just go back to bed."

Makoto sighed, but said nothing, and then walked away. Kyoko blinked once, twice, and then went back to her work. That… hadn't been what she was expecting. She'd been prepared for a lecture, or some sort of reprimand, but that silent stare of disappointment was infinitely worse. She returned to her work, and tried her best to ignore the pit in her stomach as she scanned the files.

"Here you go."

Kyoko looked up in surprise to see her husband offering her a warm mug, with a small smile on his face.

She took it carefully, and looked at him quizzically. "What are you doing?"

"Well," he answered as he sat down with a mug of his own. "Since you're not going to sleep until you finish your work, I figured I'd just have to help you finish so you can get to bed," he beamed at her and then sipped hot cocoa from his mug. "So," he said, more seriously. "What do you need me to do?"

Kyoko smiled as she felt her heart flutter. "Makoto, you don't have to-"

"But I want to," he whispered, cutting her off and placing his hand on hers.

Kyoko closed her eyes and brushed a strand of hair aside, smiling even wider. "Ok then. Here's what I need you to help me with,"

As she filled him in on the case, she took a sip from her mug, and sighed in contentment as she felt the taste of Luwak. He'd really gotten better at brewing coffee over the years. A part of her felt bad for keeping him awake, but another part of her realized that two heads were better than one, and perhaps working together they could find something she had overlooked.

(A smaller part of her, the part of her that is still a teenage girl in love, is jumping up and down gleefully, but she doesn't pay attention to that part. Well, not too much attention, anyway.)

After she filled him in on the details, the two of them got to work, splitting up the files and looking through different sections. It had been a while since the two of them had worked together to solve a mystery, but their record spoke for itself, and with the help of her husband, Kyoko was confident that they'd be able to solve this.

(They _were_ both Kirigiris after all)

"Hey, Kyoko, can I ask you for a favor?"

Kyoko looked up in curiosity. "What is it?"

"I want you to promise me something," he said, taking her hand in his and staring into her eyes. "Tomorrow, I want you to focus on resting okay? I'll understand if you want to get some work done, but please, try to spend some time relaxing, okay?"

"That…" she hesitated for a moment, "...sounds lovely," she said, with a warm smile.

Her husband grinned from ear-to-ear. "Okay then! Tomorrow, we'll spend the whole day just relaxing, together. Promise?"

He offered her a pinky, and with a chuckle, she accepted it, wrapping her own finger around his.

"Promise," she whispered, before leaning in to kiss him.

Later, as the two of them looked over the files, she found herself having to stifle a yawn.

"Tired?" Makoto asked.

"I'm fine," she answered groggily, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm just resting my eyes for a second."

The next thing she knew, she was lying in her bed, under her blankets. She probably should've expected that to happen.

Stretching her arms with a yawn, Kyoko sat up in her bed and looked at her clock. It was still morning, and with how late she had stayed up, she could probably afford to stay in bed a while longer. But her husband was nowhere to be found, and she heard some sounds coming from the kitchen.

Kyoko got out of bed and walked out into the kitchen, and was met with a very appetizing smell.

"Kyoko! What are you doing out of bed?"

She turned to see her husband, wearing an apron and holding a frying pan. "I woke up and you weren't there, so I went looking for you."

"Aww," he pouted. "I wanted to get you breakfast in bed. I even made your favorite!"

She giggled. "Well, I appreciate the sentiment," she said as she walked towards the kitchen and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Remember," he said as he finished cooking and picked up the plates. "You promised to spend today on relaxing."

She smiled as she poured herself a fresh mug of Luwak coffee and grabbed the cup of orange juice on the counter. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten."

"I haven't cooked this in a long time," he said nervously. "I hope it's good."

"It's delicious Makoto, like always." There were times when Kyoko was very glad to have fallen in love with a man who was good at cooking. She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek, and rested her head on his shoulder, letting out a happy sigh. "Thank you," she whispered.

He turned to her, raising his eyebrows. "Um, sure, I'm glad you like it."

She chuckled. "Not for the breakfast. Just… thank you. For everything."

He looked surprised for a moment, but his gaze softened, and he placed a kiss on her head. "You're welcome. I love you."

It's good to take some time to relax, every now and again.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! I have a couple of announcements. First of all, I've been dealing with a lot of personal problems recently, as well being busy with college, so expect the rest of my Naegiri Week stories to be very short this year, even shorter than last year, I hope that they still come out well. Also, for those of you who read Moving Forward, there haven't been updates in a long time because I've been working on another project, but I still fully intend to complete it, and I'll be returning to it (hopefully) soon. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy my writing.**


	2. Melt

**A much shorter chapter, this is basically just an analysis/headcanon of their relationship in literary form. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Melt**

Kyoko Kirigiri was, in many ways, the very image of a cold woman. She concealed her emotions, she made her decisions based on cold logic and rationality, and she was slow to trust anyone, keeping people out so that they wouldn't have the chance to hurt her.

Meanwhile, Makoto Kirigiri was, at least in her mind, the essence of warmth. He wore his heart on his sleeve, a true open book, he always tried to help as many people as possible, even if it seemed unreasonable, and he was always ready to offer a helping hand to anyone who needed it, to place his trust in others.

These traits of his may have gotten him in trouble, but they were what had saved her, saved the world, and they were the reason she had fallen in love with him. But, as much as she loved him for his kind heart, she also had to make sure that it didn't put him in danger. That was why she took it upon herself to look out for him. To make sure that those who meant him harm couldn't get close enough to hurt him, to keep him from hurting himself, and to make sure that when others tried to stop him from doing the right thing, she was by his side to help him reach his goals. Makoto was too kind, too forgiving, to hold a grudge, so she would hold his grudges for him. That was the burden she had taken upon herself.

Of course, he had his own burdens to bear. He had become the Hope of the world, not because he wanted to, but because he needed to. It was a title that had been forced upon him, and he had done his best to live up to it. He had to be strong, no matter what happened to him, no matter how much he hurt, no matter how much he wanted to cry, or give up, he had to keep going, he had to seem strong, not just for himself, but for others. If the symbol of Hope wasn't strong, then how could he expect people to believe in him?

And then there was the matter of his wife. He respected that she was a very private person, that she kept her emotions hidden, and always tried to put logic first, even admired her for it, but there were certainly times when it could become...frustrating. He often worried that by shutting herself off from her emotions, protecting herself from harm, she was missing out on some of the best parts of life. Not that he thought she was emotionless, he knew for a fact that she wasn't, better than most people. He understood that there was a world of difference between not showing emotions, and not feeling them, otherwise, he wouldn't have fallen in love with her (and she likely wouldn't have fallen in love with him). So that was why, as her husband, he made it his mission to always look out for the small details. To notice when she was needed help with something, to notice when she was too tired and needed to rest (even if she claimed otherwise), to notice the subtle smiles that showed when she was in a good mood (and hopefully a sign that he was doing something right). He knew that she had a heavy burden on her shoulders, and he would do everything in his power to make it easier to bear.

In a way, Kyoko Kirigiri was his own personal mystery. While she made it her mission to find the truth in all of life's contradictions, to pursue mysteries as a detective, he made it his mission to find _her_ truths. To see behind the masks that she carefully constructed, and see the real her, the woman that he had fallen in love with. He believed that he did a good job at it, but he also suspected that he only reason he did was because she let him, she trusted him enough to let down her walls around him, and respected his attempts at finding her truths enough that she loved him for it. To be honest, he was pretty sure that he would never really finish solving the mystery that was Kyoko Kirigiri, but that was perfectly okay with him, he was more than happy to spend the rest of his life investigating her, learning about her, being with her, just as long as she let him.

(And of course, she would be more than happy to let him)

Many people would be surprised by their partnership. No matter how often society may parrot "opposites attract", people are always shocked when such stunningly odd couples appear, but really, them coming together was simply natural. Kyoko Kirigiri was the very image of a cold woman, so it would only make sense for her to melt when together with a man as warm and bright as the sun.


	3. Safe

**Just a short drabble this time due to a lack of time and also inspiration, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Safe**

She had been raised to always be wary of others. To guard herself against deception, while also deceiving, to keep her emotions behind a mask of coldness. This was the code she had lived her whole life by. She'd let her guard down once, and she'd been burned before, so she learned her lesson, and set up her walls. She didn't let anyone in, she didn't let anyone see her true feelings. It was her duty as a detective, to pursue the truth, while obfuscating her own truths from the world.

For most of her life, the hypocrisy of this was lost on her. It wasn't until some time after she met him that she started to realize this. When her tendency to hide behind her walls began to backfire, she began to understand that sometimes, letting people in wasn't so bad. Surprisingly, she didn't mind as much as she thought she would. She was lucky to have met someone who made her feel safe outside of her walls, and in return, she would keep him safe as well.


	4. Sweet

**Sweet**

If most people were asked to think of a single word that could describe Kyoko Kirigiri, "sweet" would almost certainly _not_ be the answer. Kyoko Kirigiri was a cold woman, who hid her emotions and closed her heart to others. But Makoto Kirigiri knew her better than most, and that was why he understood that Kyoko could be truly sweet when she wanted to, she was just much better at hiding it than most people.

He saw it in the way she always worried about him and their friends, in the way she would take the time to encourage him when whenever he was feeling down, how she would sing his praises when she thought he wasn't listening, and how she would always support him, no matter how foolish he seemed. It was in the small gestures she made, like how she would make it a point to take off her gloves when they were in private, just to remind him how much she trusted him, the way she would sneak in kisses when they passed each other, how her hand always seemed to drift towards his.

He understood why people might think she was cold-hearted and uncaring, but he knew that wasn't true. Most people just didn't know where to look, didn't realize the ways in which she showed her affections and feelings, and mistook for her not _having_ any. But he'd promised to always be there for her, so he'd taken the time to learn, to find all the subtle cues and signals she gave.

Although, maybe he was just lucky enough that she chose to _let_ him see her sweet side. Either way, he wasn't complaining. He was proud and unimaginably happy to be married to the sweetest woman he had ever met.


	5. Fun

**Another somewhat short chapter. This one was actually inspired by Tsurezure Children. If you haven't watched/read that, then go do it. I hope you enjoy the fic!**

* * *

 **Fun**

Makoto Kirigiri was a hardworking, diligent man. He didn't slack on his work as headmaster, since he knew how important it was, and he always made sure to finish all of it on time without cutting corners.

But even though he liked his job, there were times when it could get really, _really_ , boring. Budget allocations, funding requests, taxes, grade reports, complaints, security checks, lesson plans, curriculum adjustments, Talent experiments and studies, applications, correspondence from the Future Foundation, list went on and on. He understood how important all of this was, of course, but even if he knew what it was for, from his perspective, most of this just meant tons and tons of paperwork, and there were times when he had to give his mind and wrist a break.

Fortunately, his lovely wife was in her office right next to him, so he could visit her whenever he wanted. He walked through her door and approached her desk, finding her hard at work with a stack of paperwork that rivalled his own. She paused to look at him as he walked in.

"Makoto. Is something wrong?"

He chuckled nervously. "Um, no, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to see how the most beautiful girl in the world is doing!"

She smirked. "So basically, you needed to take a break from doing paperwork, is that it?"

He blushed, and scratched the back of his head. "Eh-heh, that... _might_ be part of it? I'm kind of burnt out, so I was wondering if I could get a kiss from my beautiful wife to recharge my batteries?"

She turned away and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "If I just let you slack off whenever you want, you'll never get anything done."

He pouted. "Well… just one kiss? So I can concentrate on my work?"

"Finish your work first, then come back."

"B-but…" he sighed sadly, and then turned around to head back to his office.

Makoto felt a finger poke him on the shoulder and he turned around right as his wife pressed her lips against his. Kyoko pulled away with a wry smile, leaving her husband to stammer nervously as he turned beet-red.

"W-w-what was that?" he choked out.

She smirked. "That was just me having a bit of fun at your expense. So, have your batteries been recharged?"

Makoto looked down as he felt beads of sweat run down his neck. "W-well, um, you kind of caught me by surprise, and it was pretty short, so I'd say I'm at 80% right now."

Kyoko giggled. "Okay then, one more kiss," she said as she leaned forward.

Kyoko Kirigiri was a hardworking, diligent woman. But sometimes, she needed to have a little fun.


	6. Away

**Away**

Makoto Kirigiri sighed sadly as he picked at his instant-noodle dinner. Usually, he would've taken the time to cook a bigger, tastier, meal, but since his wife was currently away on business, he didn't feel it was worth the effort to cook up a proper meal. Even though it had only been a day since she'd left, he was already sorely aware of her absence.

He understood how important her work was, both to her and to the world at large. Makoto knew full well that Kyoko would always be a detective at heart, so when she needed to take some time off of work to pursue a case, he just encouraged and supported her. He hadn't _asked_ her to work with him at the school, she volunteered, and he understood that when she felt the need to return to her old job, he had no right to stop her, not that he wanted to anyway. However, most of her cases were relatively small local crimes that she could figure out from the comfort and safety of their own home, which meant that he could still spend time with her while she worked on cases, and even help her out from time-to-time. Unfortunately, her latest job took her all the way to _France_ which made that a non-option.

He really had no right to complain, he'd been the one who urged her to take the job in the first place. When the Future Foundation asked her for a favor, Kyoko had been reluctant to go along with it at first, both due to her personal dislike of the Foundation and because she was worried that he wouldn't be able to run the school on his own. He'd reassured her that he would be fine, and that solving a case which could affect the fate of the world was more important than past grudges, and eventually, she'd come around to agreeing. He told her that he would keep the school running just fine while she went off to do her work, and he'd be waiting to welcome her back when she finished. He helped her pack her bags, drove her to the airport, and kissed her goodbye, reassuring her every step of the way that he could survive without her for a few days, and that the school wouldn't stop functioning just because she took some time off.

And of course, he hadn't been _lying_. Sure, the increased workload was a bit frustrating, but nothing he couldn't handle, and he'd already gotten volunteers from the staff to help take some of the load off. He could definitely handle working without her for a while.

Unfortunately, the _real_ problem was the fact that she was currently over six-thousand miles away, and he hadn't spoken to her since she arrived at the airport in France. He couldn't help but worry about her, his mind conjuring up images about every single thing that could possibly go wrong without him, and he'd spent _way_ too much time looking at the statistics for the frequency and survival rates of plane crashes. Most importantly, his home felt empty, his bed felt cold, and everything just seemed a little bit dimmer without her around.

In short, Makoto Kirigiri _really_ missed his wife.

With another sigh, Makoto decided that he wasn't hungry anymore and threw what was left of his dinner in the garbage.

Normally he would have taken the chance to get some work done, or relaxed by watching a TV show or playing video games, but he didn't really have the energy to do any of that, so he just changed into his pajamas and threw himself onto his bed. Pulling out his phone, he stared at the clock on it and tried to will time to go by faster. As much as he would've liked to just go to sleep then and there, he still had something that he needed to do.

Eventually, the clock hit midnight, and right on time, his phone began to ring with an incoming video call. Jumping up, Makoto answered the call with a bright smile.

"Kyoko! How are you?"

On his phone, his wife smiled at him from across the globe. "I'm fine, Makoto. How's work going?"

"It's fine. I've already gotten a bunch of volunteers to help me out, you'll see, once you get back the school will be running just fine."

She giggled. "Well, I'm glad to see I was worried for nothing then."

Makoto cringed on the inside, but didn't let it show. "So, how's France?"

Kyoko placed her hand on her chin. "It's going well so far. The authorities here are being helpful, and the Future Foundation hasn't been getting in my way too much, which I suppose is all I can ask for. The case itself seems pretty simple, so I doubt I'll be spending much time here." She smirked. "I'll be sure to bring back a souvenir once I get home."

"That's great!" he said, a bit more cheerfully than he'd intended. "I'm glad things are going well with the case. But… I meant, how's _France_? Are you enjoying it there?"

Kyoko blinked in surprise, before smiling again. "Yes. Even though parts of it are still being rebuilt, this place is just as beautiful as I remember. I haven't been here since I was a child, so it was nice to see it again, it brings back memories. Even if it's not the same as I remember, it's a reminder of how far the world has come." She blushed lightly. "We should come here together some time, for pleasure, not business. I'd love to share this place with you."

Makoto blushed too, warmth spreading through his chest. "That sounds great. I'd love that," he whispered.

"Well, I know it's late over there, so I'll let you get to sleep now."

Makoto nodded. "Alright, good luck with your work, Kyoko."

"Makoto," she called out before he could hang up. "Everything will be fine. You don't need to worry about me."

He stiffened. "Was I that obvious?"

Kyoko smirked. "No, but I know you. So I wanted to reassure you that everything will be fine, I'll be back soon."

Makoto smiled sadly. "Thanks, Kyoko. It's… kinda lonely over here. Even with all our friends still here to support me, I just really miss you."

She sighed, and then smiled gently at him. "Makoto, I'm still with you, remember?" she reminded him, as she held up her arm to show her wedding bracelet.

Makoto smiled, and held up his arm too. "I know. Thanks, Kyoko. I love you."

"I love you too, Makoto. Good night, and sweet dreams. I'll see you soon."

With that, Makoto ended the call and rested his head on his pillow, smiling softly as he drifted off to sleep. Even if his wife was six-thousand miles away, she was still right there beside him. That thought kept him warm all throughout the night.


	7. Soft

**So here we are the end of Naegiri Week! I hope you've all enjoyed reading my works as I've enjoyed seeing all the wonderful content that others have been putting out this week! I've had this idea in my head since the start of the week, and I'm glad with how it came out. It's also my first time writing about them during their high school days, as opposed to their adult lives. I hope you all enjoy it! Merry Christmas everyone!**

 **And remember: Naegiri is canon.**

* * *

 **Soft**

Makoto Naegi skimmed through his notes. He wasn't really sure what he'd been expecting classes to be like when he was chosen to attend Hope's Peak Academy, but he'd actually been surprised by how, well, _normal_ a lot of the classes were. Sure there were plenty of specialized courses for talent development and study, but for the most part, he was rather surprised to find how prominent the general education courses were at Hope's Peak. He supposed that this was to give the Ultimate students a better foundation for getting out in the real world so they could use their Talents more effectively, not that he was complaining, since he was just an average kid who happened to win a raffle. Still, he'd be lying if he said that he didn't get frustrated with some of the classes from time-to-time. Fortunately, he had his amazing classmates to help him out, which led to where he was now.

Naegi sat next to his classmate Kyoko Kirigiri on her bed. He'd asked her for help with studying for the math test and, to his surprise, she'd agreed to help him. He was sure that she'd be too busy with her detective work and classes to help him study, but she'd agreed and invited him into her dorm. And so here he was, in a girl's room, on her bed, studying with her, sitting right next to her, very close, close enough that her arm occasionally brushed against his, and whenever she leaned over to point something out to him, he could smell her hair, and sometimes when he looked to his side to ask her something, he caught himself staring into her eyes.

So basically, Makoto Naegi was very distracted and not studying at all. Which was bad.

Makoto did his best to take his attention away from the beautiful girl sitting right next to him and focus on his notes.

Next to him, Kyoko Kirigiri was much more focused on reviewing the material, and was also doing a much better job than him at being subtle about checking him out. She'd noticed, of course, how little attention he was actually paying to their studying, and she had a pretty good idea of what the source of his distraction was. She decided to pretend not to notice, however. Truth be told, she found it flattering how he acted like a love-struck puppy but tried to hide it.

Ok, _fine_ , she found it adorable.

"Naegi, I think we should take a break," she said suddenly, setting aside her notebook.

He jumped, and looked away, hoping that she hadn't caught him staring at her (she had), and tried hard to sound disappointed.

"H-huh? How come? I think this is going well," he said, feeling heat build up in his cheek and ears.

Kirigiri smirked. "Well, I just noticed that you've seemed a little bit distracted recently, so I figured you must be tired."

Naegi's cheeks burned even brighter. "O-oh, okay then. Thank you," he mumbled.

"You're welcome."

After a second, he spoke up again. "U-um, Kirigiri, can I ask you something?"

She turned to him. "What is it?"

"U-um, why did you agree to help me?" he asked, not making eye-contact.

Kirigiri raised an eyebrow at this. "Well, because you asked me to, obviously."

He scratched his cheek. "A-ah, yeah, but, um, I meant that… you always seem so busy, so I was wondering why'd you take time out of your schedule to help me with my classes."

Kirigiri smiled. "Isn't it obvious? It's because you're my friend."

Naegi seemed shocked for a moment, before breaking out into a beaming smile.

She blinked in confusion. "What?"

Naegi tried to make himself seem serious, but try as he might, he couldn't get rid of the giant smile on his face. "Nothing… it's just, I think this is the first time you've called me your friend. I'm just glad that I finally got to hear you say that."

Kirigiri turned away, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I see. So you just thought I was too cold to be friendly? I suppose I can't blame you for that," she muttered.

 _That_ succeeded at wiping the smile from his face, and he panicked as he scrambled over to her. "I-I'm sorry, Kiri! I didn't mean it like that, I swear!"

"Gotcha."

"Huh?"

Makoto reeled back in surprise as Kyoko turned to him with a devious smirk on her face, giggling almost silently.

"Sorry about that, I was just having some fun with you."

Naegi fidgeted. "O-oh, okay. So you're not mad, then?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm not mad at you, don't worry. You're pretty easy to trick, you know."

He chuckled nervously. "Am I?"

Kirigiri nodded "Yes. You're foolishly open. You wear your heart on your sleeve, and you're honest to a fault. This makes you an easy target for deception."

"A-ah, okay then…" Makoto responded, deflated.

Naegi jolted in surprise as Kirigiri rested her head on his shoulder.

"You're very soft."

He blushed. "W-well, I guess I don't really work out much."

Kyoko broke out into a giggling fit at this, catching him by surprise.

"No, I meant emotionally, you're a soft, kind hearted person," she clarified. "And I don't think it's a bad thing. It's what makes you so… unique," she said.

 _It's why I like you so much,_ she didn't say.

"O-oh… thank you, Kirigiri. I mean, I guess I am a bit soft, then. But that's really my only redeeming quality…" he muttered, looking away.

Kirigiri sat up, and then turned his head towards her so that she was staring into his eyes. "I think that's a great quality to have."

She leaned forward slightly.

Naegi turned beet red. "T-thank you, Kiri," he said.

He mirrored her gesture, and closed his eyes.

As their faces drew closer, Kirigiri stopped, her face just a few centimeters away from his.

"Naegi…" she whispered.

"Y-yeah?" he whispered back, opening his eyes.

"You should probably leave," she said bluntly.

Makoto recoiled in shock. "Ah! I'm so sorry! Did I do something wrong? I didn't mean-"

Kyoko interrupted him by holding up her hand. "It's fine, Naegi. You didn't do anything wrong, but…"

She turned her hand around to show him her watch on her wrist. "It's almost past curfew. If Ishimaru finds you staying up past curfew, in a girl's dorm of all places, something tells me we'll never hear the end of it."

Naegi blinked in confusion once, twice, and then his eyes widened as he registered what the watch in front of him was saying.

"Oh crap!" He scrambled off the bed, and hurried to gather all his belongings and putting them into his backpack.

"Thanks so much for all the help, Kirigiri! I'll see you tomorrow!" he said as he rushed towards the door.

"Naegi," she called out as he was stepping outside, stopping him in his tracks.

Kirigiri smiled. "We should do this again sometime."

Naegi beamed. "Yeah, definitely! Good night, Kiri!"

And with that, Kyoko was left alone in her room. She rested her chin on the back of her hand, and sighed happily. She smiled as she thought about the foolishly soft boy that she had fallen in love with.


End file.
